Rune Factory Frontier: Not Alone, Never Alone
by Histrionic Juxtapositional Q
Summary: From the moment he met her, Raguna knew he would never love anyone more. But will Trampoli's resident mail girl return his feelings? Further problems arise as a mysterious newcomer appears linked to Iris's past. RagunaxAnette, MistxRaguna, OCxIris & more.
1. A Great Day, As Usual

**_**DISCLAIMER**_** Alright, let's just get this out of the way now. **I do not own, nor have I ever owned, any of the characters, places, items, etc. etc. relating to the Harvest Moon or Rune Factory series. **All of the aforementioned are the exclusive property of their respective creators and affiliated companies…one of which I am not. I mean, as awesome as it would be if I _could_ buy the entire Rune Factory series for myself, I just don't have that kind of money…yet.

**As always, reviews are greatly appreciated! n_n**

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**Chapter 1: A Great Day, As Usual**

"YAAAWWWN!" Bleary-eyed and still half asleep, Raguna edged his legs over the side of the large, double bed before reluctantly shifting his weight onto them. It took no stretch of the imagination to see that he was utterly and completely exhausted.

It's not that he wasn't used to waking up this early. Being an avid farmer in Trampoli with a full field of crops to tend to, Raguna took pains to make sure he was always awake by 6:00 AM sharp. The night before, however, he had spent tackling the Snow Ruins once again. He had been so close to finally finding the staircase leading down to the third floor! How could he have stopped, regardless of how late it was? But then that Archdemon came out of nowhere… In the end, Raguna was forced to make a hasty retreat, casting return magic to escape. So, by the time he limped upstairs and collapsed onto his bed, clothes and dignity in tatters, it was already 0:59 AM.

Now, running on roughly five hours of sleep and still recovering from a particularly painful ice ball to the head (damn that Glaces!), Raguna wondered if he might not be better off crawling back into bed and sleeping for just a couple more hours. That is, until the _other_ reason that always got him out of bed this early suddenly struck him like a charging buffamoo. _Anette!_

What time was it?! Raguna's view darted over to the clock which sat on the bedside table next to his open diary. 6:00 AM, it read. Raguna exhaled gratefully. That was a relief. He was up at his usual time, he hadn't missed her.

He left his bedroom and descended the wooden staircase sliding his hand along the smooth, stained-wood banister. Kross had installed the staircase and the upstairs bedroom for him just yesterday. He always could trust Kross to be speedy when it came to household renovations.

Having reached the bottom floor, Raguna walked over to the large toolbox by the window. He placed his rucksack onto the floor and began to root haphazardly through it. He pushed aside the Formula C, the multicolored rune stones, the bottle of E. Drink X., the…

Raguna's hands stopped their rummaging. Slowly, he lifted a bouquet of striking blue flowers out from the rucksack and into the light streaming in from between the open curtains. This was the wedding bouquet that Stella had taught him to make only a week before. The blue roses within it were as dazzling as the Whale Island moonlight under which they had grown and been transformed from pale, almost ghostly white into a brilliant azure. He smiled at the significance of these flowers, of the new, larger bed he had purchased from Lute, of having recently learned of Anette's passion to be a teacher as well as a mail carrier…

Slowly, reluctantly, he coaxed himself back into reality. He slipped the bouquet delicately back into his rucksack and searched through the latter's contents again briefly before pulling out some gold, quality fur, and a bag of magic powder left over from last night's exploration of the Snow Ruins. All of these things he dumped unceremoniously into the tool box before slamming the lid back down, slinging on his rucksack, and heading out the door of his house, a grin still lingering on his face.

Once outside, the routine that an entire year of life in Trampoli had taught him took over, and Raguna allowed it to guide his actions. He jogged into his fields, Joy Watering Can in hand and set to work watering the crops. Forty-five minutes later, he had finished, and just in time too, he realized. He needn't worry about picking the crops ready for harvest; he had a pet ant to take care of that. Instead, he hurried over to stand by the mailbox and wait for Anette to arrive.

Right on cue, along the path between Raguna's homestead and Trampoli's South District, the petite figure of Trampoli's resident mail girl came blazing in a blur of scarlet clothing and fiery golden braids. Skidding audibly to a halt just in front of the mailbox, Anette looked up and caught sight of Raguna. Upon seeing him, her ever-present smile broadened and any residual coldness that Raguna may have felt from his trip into the ruins vanished in an instant. Soon, he was smiling widely enough to rival even her, the most carefree, cheerful individual in all of Trampoli, and quite possibly, in all of Norad.

"Morning!" Anette addressed him in what was her typical greeting, "Let's make this a great day!" If it were physically possible to smile any more than he was at the moment, Raguna certainly would have. That voice! Anette's voice! It was utterly pure, therapeutic, angelic! "Oh, Raguna," she suddenly added, "I have a letter here with your name on it."

"Oh, yes. I'd like my mail please."

Anette rifled through the letters in her mailbag for a moment before finding the correct one and handing it to Raguna. "Here you go!" she said, not without a hint of triumph. As she was passing the letter to him, their hands brushed one another's, and Raguna could've sworn that he saw Anette's face begin to redden. "Well," she said hurriedly, "I should probably get going now. I have other deliveries to make and stuff."

She was just revving herself up, preparing to sprint off to the next stop on her route, when Raguna said quickly, "Wait! I have something for you." Hastily slipping the letter into his pocket, he reached into his rucksack and pulled out a juicy, red strawberry which he presented to Anette.

"Really?" she spoke excitedly while taking the fruit and placing it in her bag, "It's for me? Thanks! I mean, you know how much I love fruit, so this is really great!" She giggled, and to hear a sound as wonderful as that every day, Raguna thought, he would gladly trade away all of the Emery Flowers and Little Crystals in the world.

Finally, not wanting to keep her from her deliveries any longer, he said as jovially as he could manage, "I hope you have a great day too, Anette." Anette looked up at Raguna, acknowledging him with her sweetest and most heartwarming smile. Then she was off, feet flying, leaving a cloud of dust behind her as she sped away.

"I'll see you later then, Raguna!" she shouted behind her as she went, "I'll be at Mist's after I finish making the deliveries!"

Alone again, Raguna retrieved the letter that he had placed in his pocket, opened it, and began to read. It read:

_I'm bored…_

_I had some time on my hands, so I decided to write you a letter.  
I don't have anything exciting to say or anything._

_Mist  
_

Raguna let out a deep sigh at the absurdity of the letter he had just received. That was just like Mist to send him a letter about nothing. Slowly shaking his head, even chuckling slightly despite himself, he returned the letter to the pocket of his earthen-brown farmer's outfit.

Now all that was left for Raguna to do was pick up his daily routine where he had left off. As he trotted over to the barn, he was already planning out the rest of the day in his mind. After tending to his monsters, he would have to check up on his Runey distribution at the clock tower. Then, once he had sorted that out, he would stop over at Mist's and have a proper visit with Anette. His sky-blue eyes lit up at this thought, practically radiating with anticipation.

Walking along the road to the Church District, Raguna could already picture himself walking through the front door to Mist's house. He could imagine Anette glancing up from the table where she sat, the tender expression on her face as she beamed at his arrival…

_54/0/0/31_ read the Runey distribution diagram for the Beach Road, Raguna's "Grass Runey factory" and also the district where Mist lived. In that case, he would have to go there, gather up twenty-one Grass Runeys with the Harvester and release…

"Hi, Raguna!" Anette's voice would ring, "It's great to see you!" He would walk over to stand by her as she told him about how the day's deliveries had gone. "So anyway, I was placing a letter for Stella in her mailbox when I suddenly looked down and realized that I dropped my wallet again. *Giggle* I know, silly me, right?"

He had started with twenty-three Grass Runeys. Checking in his rucksack, Raguna saw that he now had thirty-eight. That meant he only needed to gather six more before he released ten of his Rock Runeys along with…

"I delivered _another_ package of books to Selphy. I kinda wish she wouldn't order so many of her books through the mail. I mean, they're just so heavy! Having to carry them around in my bag starts to make my shoulder hurt after a while."

Raguna quickly took note of how many of each type of Runey he had: Thirty-seven Tree Runeys, twenty-eight Water Runeys, thirty-two…

"Danny was waiting by his mailbox for me again…," and the way she said this showed obvious distaste. "Well, you know how he is. I guess he's trying to be friendly, and I should really give him a break, but still…"

Done harvesting ten of each Runey except Grass from the beach, Raguna released two of the Grass Runeys from his rucksack. They floated off happily to join the rest of the Runeys in prosperity. Now he just had to make his rounds, dropping off two more Grass Runeys in each of the…

"I had to skip breakfast this morning because I overslept again, and I was sooo hungry after I was done delivering everyone's mail. Erik was nice enough to treat me to lunch, though. Boiled eggs always taste so much better when I'm tired from running around all morning."

He released two Grass Runeys into the Business District. Seeing Uzuki and Eunice, he stopped briefly to talk with them before continuing on to…

"Hey, um, Raguna…could I ask you a question?"

The South District was particularly lively. A dense rainbow of Runeys hovered in the air all around him. Raguna…

"Do you…like m- *Cough* I mean, um…"

He was almost done with the day's distribution. Just Lake Poli was left for…

"Do you like m-m-…melons?! Y-yeah, that's what I was going to ask. Do you like melons? Heh heh…"

With the familiar SWOOSH of a return spell, Raguna materialized on the front step of his house. He had finally finished all of the necessary daily chores. Glancing through the window of his house at the wall clock, he saw that it was just after 11:00. Anette should be at Mist's by now, he thought, recalling her earlier promise. His spirits instantly lifted by the mental image he had conjured of her, Raguna set off toward the Beach Road in earnest. _Today is as good a day as any_, he reasoned, _yes, I'll ask her to come flower viewing with me today. The mood will be perfect. All I'll have to do is wait until… And then…_

His thoughts trailed off.

Meanwhile the bouquet remained where he had left it, nestled comfortably within the confines of his rucksack.

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**Thanks so much to my amazing betareaders: _LovelyxxMelody_ & _Shadows-of-Realm_**

**Coming Soon: Chapter 2, in which Anette falls victim to pumpkin-induced paralysis... ;-)  
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	2. New Arrival

**_**DISCLAIMER**_**** I do not own, nor have I ever owned, any of the characters, places, items, etc. etc. relating to the Harvest Moon or Rune Factory series.**

**Please review!!! I need to feel loved...** **-_- Ha! Just joking around! =P ......Review anyway.**

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**Chapter 2: New Arrival**

"I'll see you later then, Raguna!" Anette called back to the kindly farmer as she rocketed away toward the Beach Road, "I'll be at Mist's after I finish making the deliveries!" Darting along the well-worn dirt path, she flew even more rapidly than her typically swift pace. She had lingered just slightly longer than usual talking to Raguna, and hoped she wouldn't be late bringing everyone their mail. _I'm really glad I spent the time to talk with him though_, she thought, smiling longingly to herself… _I'll bet that strawberry is going to taste delicious!_

The next stop along her route would be Mist's home. Humming merrily to herself as she went, Anette eventually arrived in front of the flower-covered house and halted just next to Mist's mailbox. Seeing her friendly housemate outside in the garden, watering the flowers, Anette greeted her warmly. "Morning, Mist!" she called, "You got mail!"

Mist smiled and waved dreamily back to her. "Good morning, Anette. Say," she said, sudden excitement in her voice, "did you know that if you see a cat lick its face, it means it will rain soon!"

"Oh wow, really?" Anette replied with practiced enthusiasm, "That's, uh, great to know, Mist!" She didn't bother pointing out that there were no cats in the village. She had been sharing a house with Mist for a full season, and had learned that she was better off just humoring the well-meaning, albeit scatterbrained, young blonde. Instead, she placed an…unusually shaped package for Mist in the mailbox (mail _was_ mail after all; she really shouldn't question things like that…right?), said a quick goodbye, and soared off to the Church District.

There was no mail addressed to Kanno or his granddaughters today. So, skipping the clock tower, Anette paused instead in front of Trampoli's grand church. "Stella, you got mail!" she called out as she slid the holy woman's letter into the mailbox. Before continuing on her way, however, Anette happened to glance down at her feet and spotted something small and shiny. "My wallet!" she exclaimed while reaching down to retrieve it, "I'll have to be more careful to keep track of my things."

After taking a brief moment to slip the gold-filled wallet back into the crimson pocket of her outfit, she flitted away once again, this time in the direction of the Rune Archives. Her feet moving rapidly as a humming bird's wings, she dashed up the stone steps to the library. Having reached their top, Anette hovered just outside the archives' front door as she searched through her mailbag for the correct package. "No…no…no," she said, pulling things out of the sack and placing them on the ground around her in her haste.

At last, she found what she was looking for. She lifted out a large, wrapped stack of books from her bag and hefted them into the mailbox. No doubt their book-loving recipient would be thrilled to get her hands on these. "Selphy," Anette shouted to her, "you have another package!" Breathing a sigh of relief at having gotten those heavy books out of her mailbag at last, she gathered up all of the letters and packages she had placed on the ground and took off for the Business District.

Comfortably within her familiar morning routine once again, Anette's mind began to drift off. She thought of how pleasant the gulps of warm spring air felt, filling her lungs as she ran. She reveled in the carefree tune of birds, singing from the flowering trees all around her. "Melody, you got mail!" She breathed in the delightful scent of freshly-blooming moon drop flowers, as a refreshing wind carried it to her nose. She stared up at the cotton-like clouds as they floated gracefully through the sky, and she found that she was reminded of…

"You're late today! Come on, Anette!" Danny's teasing voice startled Anette abruptly out of her daydreaming. Flustered, she blushed indignantly, and not merely out of annoyance at Danny's sad attempt to flirt with her.

"Here's your mail, Danny," she responded coldly and hurried on her way, but not before hearing him begin to mutter under his breath.

"Damn, I didn't even get a chance to ask…"

Now left to her own thoughts again, Anette reflected rather embarrassingly on what she had been thinking before Danny interrupted her. Looking up at the vast blue expanse of sky, she'd wondered at how it was exactly the same shade as Raguna's eyes. "Ganesha, you got an order from Kardia!" Those eyes that would brighten and gaze back into hers as she called out a greeting, while that strand of chestnut hair that fell perfectly between them danced playfully in the breeze.

_W-wait, what?! Oh, no, no, _no_!_ What was she thinking? This was Raguna, her caring neighbor and close friend. They had known each other for just over a year now, and during that whole time that was all they'd been, friends and nothing else. Anette was perfectly happy just maintaining her simple, friendly relationship with Raguna, and she thought, no, she was _sure_ he would agree. "Rita, you got a postcard!"

_Besides_, she thought, _he and Mist already have something special_. Mist was not exactly known for keeping her thoughts to herself, so, living in the same house as her, Anette had naturally heard all about her feelings for Raguna. "He's so dashing when he's out working in his fields," Mist would muse, "not to mention thoughtful. He always has a turnip just for me! And he listens to me whenever I want to tell him about a dream I had, like the one I had last night where he was working in his fields while dressed strangely. He had rabbit ears…" She had continued, but Anette managed to tune it out. It was an acquired skill essential to survival when you lived with Mist long enough.

Raguna never spoke quite so openly about things like that, but since he'd come all the way to Trampoli just to find Mist, Anette thought, his feelings for her were pretty obvious.

Standing in the Business District's center with her empty mailbag at her side, Anette yawned and stretched both arms toward the sky so that, for a moment, she almost doubled in height. _Too bad it's only temporary_, she thought as she reflected gloomily on her rather minute stature. Soon though, her stomach began to rumble and hunger chased all other thoughts out of her head.

"Mmmm," she said aloud to no one in particular "I feel like having that strawberry right now!" She placed her hand in her pocket and pulled out…her wallet. Suddenly panicked, she searched through her remaining pockets, but came up empty-handed.

Where _had_ she put that strawberry from Raguna? In her mailbag! That was it! Relieved, she reached into the bag, but her fingers grasped at empty air. A look inside the bag only confirmed what her hand had told her. There was no strawberry to be found. _Oh no_, she thought, _I must've dropped it!_ Then she remembered how, back at the library, she had been pulling things out of her mailbag so that she could find Selphy's package. She must have tossed the strawberry aside without realizing it.

Anette's stomach growled insistently. But she had nothing to eat, and she couldn't go to Erik's this early; he would still be working in his fields, and she didn't want to be a nuisance to her generous friend. "Ohhh," she groaned, "I knew I shouldn't have skipped breakfast. I'm so hungry."

"Excuse me, miss. Do you have a minute?"

"Huh? Who, me?" The unfamiliar voice had taken Anette by surprise. She realized that, until now, she had been totally oblivious of the stranger standing right in front of her.

Now that she noticed him though, she saw that he was a young man of about her age. He sported medium-length jet-black hair onto which the late morning sun now cast a single silver stripe. To say that Anette found his clothing slightly odd would have been an understatement. He wore a thin, hooded, cherry-red jacket zipped up to his neckline and with sleeves extending nearly to his pale fingertips, an unusual choice, considering the warm spring temperatures. The bottoms of faded-blue pant legs hung down over his shoes which were a vivid, leafy-green color.

But the most unusual and most amazing thing about him was his eyes! Two dark pupils, ringed by irises of the most vibrant, fiery orange she had ever seen. The closest things they resembled, she thought, were pumpkins…that is, if said pumpkins were ripened to perfection, crystallized, and then illuminated by several hundred high-intensity floodlights. The effect was wholly mesmerizing, and Anette found herself scarcely able to look away.

As she stood gawking, the boy spoke again, smiling modestly as he did so. "Yes, you. I was wondering if you knew where I could find an inn. I just arrived in the village and I need a place to stay for a while."

Anette said nothing. She was still entranced by this newcomer. _His hair…his smile…his eyes! Oh, his eyes!_

He frowned, raising a concerned eyebrow at Anette's spellbound state. "Um…hello? Are you okay?"

"Oh, y-yes! I'm fine, just fine!" she laughed nervously.

"Alright," the boy said skeptically, "if you say so. Anyway, about the inn…"

"Oh right, the inn!" Anette turned gratefully away from those dazzling eyes and pointed an eager finger at the building just to the left of her and the boy. "That's the Sunshine Inn right there. I'm sure Turner and Rita will be happy to get you a room. Just make sure you use the door on the right. The other door leads to the…to the…umm…" She had turned back to look at him as she spoke. Big mistake. Staring directly into his stunningly bright eyes again, her train of thought entirely derailed.

"Got it! Thank you very much," he said as he smiled with genuine gratitude. Then, seeming to remember something, he added, "Oh, you were saying that you were hungry, right?"

Anette had forgotten about just how hungry she was, but now her stomach rumbled in affirmation to the boy's question.

He reached inside a black pouch which was tied around his waist, pulling out a brown paper bag. He handed this to Anette saying, "Here, you can have this. It was going to be my lunch, but you sound like you need this more than I do." With a final smile, he walked past her towards the inn. As he reached the door though, he suddenly paused and turned to face her with those impossibly orange eyes. "By the way, what is your name?"

"A-Anette! It's Anette, my name I mean…"

"Well then, thank you again for the help, Anette." He closed the inn door lightly behind him as he passed through it, and Anette was left standing by herself in the middle of the Business District. By and by, Anette was roused from her stupor by the whistling of spring birds and the gentle warmth of the sun as it rose steadily higher over her head. She was suddenly embarrassed at having let herself freeze up like that. It just wasn't like her.

She looked down at the paper bag in her hands and remembered her hunger. She hurriedly opened the bag, and what she found inside made her jaw drop. A pumpkin tart! Anette absolutely LOVED pumpkin tarts! "Whooaaaaa…!" she exclaimed in drooling admiration, and in no time at all, she had devoured the sweet treat.

Her hunger satisfied. Anette's thoughts turned to the kind newcomer who had given it to her. Where had he come to Trampoli from? How long would he be staying? Would she get another chance to talk to him? (She _really_ hoped so!) And then it hit her. His name! She had never even asked him for his name! What if he left without her ever finding out? The abrupt thought made Anette practically frantic. Barely hesitating, she followed after the boy toward the inn. Besides, she thought eagerly, this way I'm bound to see him at least _one_ more time in case he leaves.

But Anette still held out hope that the boy wouldn't be leaving quite so soon. She imagined him as Trampoli's newest resident. She saw the two of them talking and laughing together happily as she delivered the mail. Alone together, the lively mail girl and the boy with the pumpkin eyes…

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**AN: Well, there you have it, folks, Chapter 2. I'll admit, I really enjoyed getting to write an Anette-centric chapter. She's just such a unique and adorable character. X3 I'm slightly sad now though, because FanFictions has decided not to recognize all of my heart and musical note symbols... T_T Ah well. Hopefully things are starting to get a bit more interesting plot-wise now. Let the drama commence! ...so to speak. And...it's late and I really have nothing else to say... Oh yeah! Pumpkins are awesome, and I don't care what you have to say about it, Mint! XD (Someone please get that reference...)**

**Innumerable thanks once again to my faithful betareaders: **_**Shadows-of-Realm**_** (First this time...happy? ;-P) & **_**LovelyxxMelody**_**. Don't know what I'd do without you guys. n_n**

**--Coming Soon-- Chapter 3, in which fruit is mistaken for fine literature... ;-)**


	3. A New Rival

**_**DISCLAIMER**_**** I do not own, nor have I ever owned, any of the characters, places, items, etc. etc. relating to the Harvest Moon or Rune Factory series.**

_**Reviews. I want 'em. They make me happy. You want to make me happy, right? ;-) Just click the shiny, happy, candy-like "Review" button at the bottom of the page.**_

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**Chapter 3: A New Rival**

Emerging from the tree-laden path and into the Beach Road district, Raguna began to feel a cool wind as it whipped up against his exposed skin. The breeze blew in from the sandy coast just ahead and carried with it the distinctly foreign and salty scent of the ocean. On any other day, he might have enjoyed the gentle chill of the wind as a welcome contrast to the unusually balmy spring weather. Now though, he worried that the briny air might begin to wilt the delicate flowers within his rucksack, particularly the blue roses.

In his nervousness, Raguna was just about to reach for the bouquet so he could know for certain if they were alright, when he was interrupted by Mist's unexpected greeting. "Hello, Raguna," she said, unlatching the wooden gate of her fence and walking over to him.

"Hi Mist," Raguna called back. He decided that checking on the flowers would have to wait. "I was just on my way over to visit, actually."

"Sure," she said, directly in front of him now, "let's both go back in then." Instead of turning and walking back towards her house though, she paused and looked upwards at the sky. Smiling, she said, "The air feels so warm. I certainly feel like taking a nap outside on spring days like this."

"Hey, Mist," Raguna prodded, "weren't we going to head inside?"

"Oh right," she replied in a casual tone without even a trace of embarrassment at her sudden reverie. She then proceeded to spin on her heel and saunter back through the gate and to her front door as if nothing unusual had happened. Then again, where Mist was concerned, a brief moment of absentmindedness really _wasn't_ anything unusual. Even so, Raguna, following some distance behind her, found himself dumbfounded that she had decided to suddenly voice such an arbitrary thought.

Raguna's friendship with Mist went back almost as far as he could remember. After he had collapsed at her doorstep back in the town of Alvarna a few years ago, with no memory at all of his past, she had been the first to find and revive him. She had even given him a house, complete with adjoining field, where he was able to stay and farm for a living. She was his earliest and closest friend, and he owed a lot to her. So naturally, when Mist one day vanished from Alvarna without so much as a word to anyone, he had set off to look for her, ultimately stumbling upon the village of Trampoli, his new home.

But for all the time Raguna had known Mist, he had never quite been able to get over her inherent…strangeness. Her seemingly random bouts of peculiar behavior and bizarre statements never ceased to take him aback. It was just one personality quirk of hers that he figured he would simply never get used to.

This visit wasn't about Mist though, he knew. His real reason for coming here was Anette. Right around this moment, the implications of what exactly he was about to do hit him…hard…like The Hammer to the skull hard. His thoughts became panicked. Did his hair look okay? What if the wind had messed it up, and he walked in looking like a fool? (Hurriedly, he ran a trembling hand through his hair which, of course, was still perfectly straight.) Was he dressed appropriately? Wait, what was he saying? He always wore the same clothes anyway. What about the bouquet? Oh, the bouquet! He had almost forgotten. Would it still be alright?

Walking distractedly through the open doorway and into Mist's house, Raguna was greeted by the distinct and pervasive scent of turnips. On the stovetop in the far corner of the room, a turnip sat cooking (or more appropriately, burning) in a frying pan. A pot of water was beginning to boil next to the pan, though he wasn't quite sure what Mist was planning on cooking in it…or _if_ she was planning on cooking anything in it. In the room's center, a turnip lamp was placed decoratively next to a vase of turnip-pink flowers, both of which rested on a wooden table covered with an indigo cloth. Mist had already snatched up her feather duster and stood over on the right side of the room, thoroughly dusting a large, wood bureau.

When he finally looked up from his thoughts to take in the room, Raguna froze. It wasn't what he saw in the room that shocked him. He had been inside Mist's house often enough before (although not quite as often as Mist would let herself into _his_, something which she was known to do any time it rained), and it wasn't as if anything looked at all different than he remembered.

Rather, it was what he didn't see that made Raguna's heart skip a beat.

Anette… Anette wasn't there.

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"Anette! Morning!" Turner's warm voice boomed, "Great to see you! But," he said, suddenly puzzled, "you never stop by this early. D'you have some mail you forgot about?"

"Morning, Turner." Anette replied, placing the used paper bag hastily into the trash. "But no, sorry, I don't have any more mail for you."

"Hey, no problem! Since you're here anyway though, why not make yourself at home?"

Anette's eyes searched anxiously around the room, from the cozy-looking stone fireplace across the room to the flight of wooden steps, leading up to the guest rooms on the inn's second floor. But she saw no one except for the innkeeper, standing in his usual spot behind the front desk. Disappointed, she turned her full attention to Turner and smiled apologetically. "Thanks. I mean, I'd really love to stay for a while, but I'm kind of looking for someone, a boy, actually."

Anette could still clearly see the stranger in her mind, and her face flushed at the mental image of him, a fact which did not go unnoticed by Turner. "Oh? Well I haven't seen Raguna yet today. Maybe you should see if he's—"

"No, no, it's not Raguna."

"Really?" Turner was genuinely surprised. Then he remembered something. "Hmm, come to think of it a young man was just in here. If I recall, he had dark hair…and a jacket that was, well, about the same color as yours."

"And orange eyes!" she exclaimed.

"Come to think of it, yeah, he did. He seemed like a nice enough kid to me. Said he just needed a room for the night, and he'd even pay in advance. I told him that we had one all ready so he thanked me, paid—left a generous tip, too—and headed upstairs with the key. I guess he's the one you're looking for, then?"

Anette's heart deflated. "…Y-yes. Yes he is. Thank you, Turner." _So he _is_ only staying in Trampoli for one day_, she thought, _I was right_. In this case though, she really wished she could have been wrong. _Well_, she resolved, _all the more reason to see him while I still can_. Giving Turner as pleasant a goodbye as she could manage, she turned and raced up the stairs.

"That girl," Turner thought aloud after she had gone, in one of his rare moments of wisdom, "she's always rushing around somewhere. It's great that she's so energetic, but sometimes I think it might do her some good to slow down once in a while."

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_But… Wh-why…? What? Where is she? It's almost noon! It's a Monday! …Isn't it?_ He shot a look at the turnip-themed calendar hanging on the wall. Yes, it was definitely Monday. And he was definitely here in Mist's house, in spring, at 11:30, on a Monday…but she, Anette, wasn't.

If it had been panicked before, Raguna's mind now went into frantic overdrive. Maybe he had just made her late by delaying her this morning? But that had only been for a few minutes, not hours! Was it possible that she was still eating over at Erik's, or visiting Melody at the bath house? No, she had said she would be at Mist's, and she was _always_ back here by this time! So why wasn't she now? She did get chased by monsters a lot; what if one had… No, _no_! He simply refused to even consider that as a possibility. Could she be avoiding him, then? But why? Had he done something to upset her? Why hadn't Mist noticed that she wasn't back yet? Wow, that was a dumb question. The only thing that could get Mist worried would be a turnip shortage…

"You know…"

Mist's interjection interrupted Raguna's now-racing thoughts, bringing them to a jarring halt. He looked over to see her pouting in his direction, hands on her hips, one of which was still clutching a blue feather duster. "Wh-what?" he stammered.

"You ought to give me some warning before you just decide to surprise me at my own home like this."

_She's not really one to talk about not showing up to someone's house unannounced_, he thought somewhat bitterly. His agitated confusion about Anette's absence was not exactly helping his current mood.

Mist simply cocked her head slightly and smiled. "Oh well, I'm still glad you came."

But Raguna was beyond listening at this point. "Mist," he asked, "do you know where Anette is? Did she tell you she was going to be somewhere today?"

"Nope," she answered simply, having turned back to her dusting.

"Has she come back yet today, at least?" Raguna practically pleaded.

"Uh-uh."

Raguna's voice was desperate now. "Aren't you worried about her at all?"

"Oh, I'm sure she's fine. Anette never gets into any trouble…well, except for that time she passed out in front of your house. Besides, she can run super fast. She could just outrun any—"

Raguna had heard enough. Distressed and fed up with Mist's lack of concern, Raguna turned on the spot and dashed out the door.

Mist, meanwhile, was left standing alone in the house baffled and upset at his sudden departure. "He…," she said meekly to herself, "he didn't even offer me a turnip."

* * *

"Owww!" Selphy winced painfully as sunlight streamed in through the cracked door, piercing her eyes. She had been indoors reading for days, and her poor, darkness-adjusted eyes were now paying the price for her passion. Not to mention that she couldn't even recall the last time she'd slept…or eaten. Regardless, shielding her face from the inevitable brightness, she pushed the door of the Rune Archives open the rest of the way and stepped out into the midmorning sun.

Almost immediately, Selphy realized why she had been hesitant to leave the library for the past few days. The incessant chirping of springtime birds was torture to her ears, nothing like the comforting FWIP of a page being turned. The explosion of colors from dozens of flowering trees was overwhelming to eyes used to seeing in black and white, with the occasional dull brown, red, or green of a book's cover.

"It's okay, Selphy," she said, psyching herself up. "All you need to do is make it over to the mailbox. Just think of how great it's going to be to start reading those new and exciting books. Oh, I can't wait! " With renewed enthusiasm, she began to take those grueling five steps between the door and the mailbox.

Right around Step Four, Selphy felt her foot bump up against something that shouldn't have been there

. Alarmed, lest it be a poor abandoned book left to fade in the harsh sun, she bent over to pick it up. But it wasn't a book, or a scroll, or even a hastily scribbled note.

"Huh?" Selphy said as she realized what it was, "A…strawberry?"

* * *

**AN: Heeeere's SELPHY! =D I just couldn't not work her into the story; she's way too awesome to be left out. Anyway, Chapter 3 was a blast to write, simply because of all of the different scenes and characters I was able to more fully introduce to the story. But would you look at that? Another whole chapter in and you still haven't found out the stranger's name. Aren't I just mean? n_n Don't worry, I'll be telling you all about him in the next chapter...probably...maybe...sort of. =P Anywhoo, Raguna frustrated and worried? Mist abandoned and distraught? Anette infatuated with a boy other than Raguna? I sense some problems on the horizon... But what do I know? I'm only writing the thing, after all. XD (You'll come to find my author's notes are generally MUCH more peppy than my stories themselves. Especially considering where this thing's headed. I haven't forgotten the "drama" part of this Drama/Romance, you know...)**

**Thanks for sticking with me this far, readers! I luvs ya all! =D ...Just make sure you keep on reading. I don't want to lose you now. ;-)**

**And how could I forget my good buddy betas? **_**LovelyxxMelody**_** & **_**Shadows-of-Realm**_**, thanks bunches! ^_^**

**COMING SOON****: Chapter 4, in which the reader is sure to experience multiple cases of deja vu... ;-)**


	4. Searching

******_**DISCLAIMER**_**** I do not own, nor have I ever owned, any of the characters, places, items, etc. etc. relating to the Harvest Moon or Rune Factory series.**

**Reviews are a good thing! Me likey reviews! n_n (i.e. Please review! =P)**

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**Chapter 4: Searching…**

_What am I doing here?_ Lying alone on the teal single-person bed in the room's corner, his eyes firmly shut, Alpha had been trying hard not to think. But even through full-bodied exhaustion, the same worries and frustrations continued to trouble his thoughts. _Who am I to be sitting here, relaxing on a comfortable bed as if I hadn't a care in the world? I should be out there right now—_

_Doing what? _the cynical half of his mind chimed in. _Acting friendly and upbeat to people you'll never see again? Turning over every damn stone and twig in this village just to end up finding nothing as usual? Walking aimlessly for miles along another godforsaken dirt road before stumbling into some tiny, nameless village or other and starting the cycle over again? Face it. It's hopeless. You're never going to find—_

_No! That's not true! I promised myself that I would. I have to… And I won't stop looking until I do!_

_You're kidding yourself,_ part of his brain continued to goad him. _What makes you think one of these filthy rattraps will be different from the hundreds of others you've already wasted your time rooting through, anyway? From the dozens upon dozens of towns and villages you've come and gone from? You've been wandering about for almost two years now. A lot can happen in that time, you know... Who's to say this "most precious object" of yours is even still—_

_You don't know what you're saying! …And yeah, I've been searching for two years, and as long as there's any chance left at all, I'm going to keep searching. So you can just shut it!_

_Humph! If you ask me, you'd be better off "searching" for a replacement._

_Wh-What? No! You're wrong! …I'm wrong… Enough already! I don't want to think about this now. Just…just please leave me alone. _It took Alpha a moment to realize the irony of that thought. He _was _alone. Of course he was alone. That was the problem.

Without opening his eyes, Alpha reached under the sleeve of his jacket and caressed the fingers on his right hand. He felt the reassuringly cold touch of metal and sighed quietly. He remembered, of course. How could he forget? "…Never alone…," he whispered poignantly.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Alpha's eyes snapped open. He lifted his head to face the weathered mahogany door on the far side of the room. Had someone just knocked? Straining to listen, he caught the faint sound of shuffling feet coming from the hallway beyond. And then the knocking came again, more urgently this time.

KNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCK!

In a swift motion, Alpha rose from his supine position on the bed before swinging his feet over its side and slipping silently onto the carpet. His movements were quick, precise, natural. Acting briskly and instinctively was certainly nothing new to him. But this fast-acting response was merely subconscious for him, and in his mind Alpha felt relaxed, at ease with the situation. _Boy_, he thought calmly, _someone sure is eager to see me. _"Coming! Just a moment," he called out to his unseen visitor.

As he walked casually across room in the direction of the door though, he wondered what business anyone could possibly have with him. After all, he couldn't have arrived more than ten minutes ago. Alpha knew from experience that word traveled quickly in small tight-knit communities, as this one seemed to be. But even so, for some overly friendly villager to have tracked him down in under ten minutes—and after he had spoken to only two people so far, no less—would have to be some kind of record. Could it be the innkeeper coming to see if he had finished settling into the room? But no, the light scuffle of feet Alpha had heard would have been rather difficult for someone of the innkeeper's, erm… _physique_. Maybe Turner (he remembered now that that was the innkeeper's name) had sent someone to check up on him then?

But as Alpha pulled open the door with a creak and stood looking out into the hall, the girl he saw in front of him could hardly have been mistaken for an inn employee. "Yes? Can I help you?" he asked politely, placing his earlier troubles in the back of his mind for the moment.

The girl looked up slightly, beamed at him with closed eyes, and waved vigorously in greeting. "Hey," she bubbled. "It's me!"

Alpha blinked twice. "I'm—I'm sorry. You are…?"

The girl started, her gold braids recoiling slightly with the abrupt motion. Her ocean-blue eyes were suddenly open wide and staring back at him, worriedly, almost pleadingly. Then just as quickly, the girl averted her eyes from Alpha's to instead stare intently at the floor to one side. Surprised, Alpha wondered if there might be something on his face. He reached up his hand and attempted to brush whatever it was from his cheeks.

Meanwhile, the girl seemed to try and compose herself, though her gaze remained fixed firmly on the ground. "It's me, Anette! Y-you remember me, right?" She smiled and even managed a slight giggle.

_Hmm, she _does_ seem familiar_,he thought. _Where have I seen her before? Anette… Wasn't she…? Oh, that's right! She's the girl I met outside a while ago, who I gave my lunch to after she pointed the way here._ Had he actually forgotten who she was so quickly? Even knowing he had plenty of other things on his mind at the time, Alpha felt incredibly rude.

Though he met countless individuals during his seemingly endless travels, not all of whom he strictly liked, he always made a point to be on good terms with as many people as possible. They had never done him any real wrong, and anyways, it was much preferable to make friends rather than enemies, even if they were only temporary.

So, afraid he had offended this kind-spirited girl with his forgetfulness, he answered quickly, "Oh! I'm so sorry. Of course I remember you, Anette. Thank you very much for helping me out earlier! Did you enjoy that pumpkin tart? I hope it was filling enough for you. I am a bit of a light eater when it comes to my lunch, I'm afraid."

That seemed to do the trick. Anette's smile grew, and when she turned back to Alpha there was a new, excited gleam present in her ever-wide eyes. Then, to Alpha's surprise, she flinched and broke eye contact with him once again. Maybe he hadn't quite made up for the whole forgetting who she was thing as easily as he had thought… As she spoke though, her voice sounded genuinely cheerful and relieved. "Oh, no! It was delicious! Pumpkin tarts are my favorite!"

Alpha grinned in return. "I'm glad you liked it, then. So, did you need to see me about something?"

Anette seemed flustered by the question. She blushed noticeably. "Um, actually…it's kind of embarrassing, but I never got to ask you for your name. I mean, uh, I deliver the mail for Trampoli," she thrust an empty bag from her side out toward him and smiled proudly. "See? So anyway, I can't really make sure your letters get to you without knowing your name."

Alpha was slightly taken aback by her forwardness. "Well, I won't be staying here in this village long, and I'm not expecting any mail, so…"

"Oh…," Anette was clearly disappointed, but tried to keep her voice cheery and casual nonetheless. "Well, that's fine, I guess. I mean, if you won't be getting any letters, then it's not really all that important for me to—"

Realizing his mistake, he hastily replied, "No no, it's alright. My name's Alpha."

Anette broke out into a huge grin. Still without meeting his eyes, she said, "Alpha… Nice to meet you, Alpha! I guess we actually met earlier, but now I know your name too."

_She really is rather sweet_, Alpha thought to himself while smiling back at Anette's newfound enthusiasm. It was people like this that tended to remind him of "her" …not that anyone could really ever compare. And as his mind drifted away from the conversation at hand, Alpha recalled his own troubling situation, the sole reason for which, in the first place, he had even come to this village of…Trampoli, was it? "Thank you for coming to see me, Anette," he said seriously. "I really do appreciate it. But I'll need to be going now. I have some things to take care of here in Trampoli before I leave tomorrow."

He didn't know what he was expecting in response, maybe more disappointment or else a pleasant goodbye. Instead though, Anette furrowed her brow. It looked to Alpha as if she were trying to remember something. "Um, don't I need to be somewhere right now too?" she mused. Then, her hands shot up to her mouth and there was an expression of panic on her face. "Oh no!" she exclaimed. "And I told him I would be there too!" Looking directly up at him now, she said a hurried goodbye and rushed off.

_Huh_, thought Alpha bemusedly, _I wonder what all that was about._ Well, it didn't matter anyway. He had more important things to deal with at the moment. Sighing deeply, he turned and walked dejectedly down the long, worn carpet of the corridor and toward the unfamiliar set of stairs at its end.

* * *

"11:30? A-are you sure?"

"'Course I'm sure," Turner said, looking puzzled. "Why, is something the matter?"

"Uh, nope!" Anette answered. The last thing she wanted was to worry him. "I just didn't realize I'd been here that long is all. Well," she added hurriedly, "I guess I'll be going, then. Thanks for everything, Turner! " She bolted out the door of the inn and began sprinting along her usual delivery route in reverse. After all, it was the quickest way she knew back to Mist's house.

11:30… Anette could barely believe it had managed to get so late. When she had finished delivering the mail—even after she had spent that extra time at Raguna's—it couldn't have been any later than 9:15. But then she had been distracted by _him_. By Alpha… She knew his name now, she realized. And he'd be looking around the village for the day from the sound of it. Maybe, if she was lucky, she'd bump into him again later on, when… _No wait, focus, Anette, _focus_!_ She was usually back home at Mist's way before this time and, before now, had never been later than 9:30. _Raguna and Mist must be so worried about me!_ She thought over that for a moment. _… Raguna must be so worried about me!_

Anette was little more than a blur as she flew past the Damascus Forge; past the general store, Materia; past Danny's run-down general-store-turned-apartment; past Laga Springs; past the Rune Archives; past the looming figure of the clock tower; until finally, taking the shortcut through the forest path behind the church, she came blazing down the set of wooden steps leading to the Beach Road.

Dashing through the gap in the fence on the side of Mist's house, in no time at all Anette was bursting in through the front door. "Raguna," she began to blurt out, "I'm really sorry I'm late! I just…" She stopped herself. No Raguna. The only person in the room as far as she could see was Mist, standing over a pot of boiling water on the stovetop. Luckily, it was the _pot_ that was actually standing on the stovetop and not Mist…this time.

"Hey, Mist," Anette called out to her, "I'm back!"

Mist answered vaguely. "Oh, hello, Anette…"

"Say, um, has Raguna been here today? I was supposed to meet him here, but I kind of got held up, so— "

"Yes," Mist's voice was clearly distressed, but Anette merely mistook it for Mist having a sore throat. _I hope she's not coming down with another cold._ "He was here earlier. Just a few minutes ago actually, but he…left."

"He left? Why? What happened?" Anette definitely hadn't expected that. She assumed Raguna would just wait for her, like he always did, whether she asked him to or not. Not that she minded, it was really very thoughtful of him, actually. She just didn't like him having to wait around because of her.

"He asked if you were here, but you weren't, unless you were invisible. Are you sure you weren't just invisible a little while ago?" Anette wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, but luckily it didn't seem Mist was waiting for an answer. "So anyway," she continued, her voice now sounding somewhat choked, "I told him you weren't here, and then he got all upset and ran off."

Oh no! He was upset? He was upset because she had been late! Anette felt instantly guilty. She could go and see him right now and apologize, she supposed, but still…she had said she would be here and she wasn't. She _had_ to at least go and try to explain, though. Raguna was a good friend, and he could be very understanding, she knew.

"I'll be right back," she told Mist, "promise! I just need to go talk to Raguna really quickly." She shot Mist a friendly smile before heading out once again.

The short distance between Mist's and Raguna's houses was a piece of cake for an experienced sprinter like Anette, and within moments, she found herself knocking on Raguna's front door. She waited. There was no response. She tried again. _Maybe he just didn't hear me. I had to knock twice to get Alpha's (…oh, Alpha… FOCUS! Not right now!) attention earlier._ Still no response. At first, she worried that Raguna might just be ignoring her. _I mean, if he was upset enough to actually run out of Mist's house…_ But looking in through the window, Anette saw that Raguna really was not inside. And he obviously wasn't upstairs sleeping, it was only—she glanced at his wall clock—11:55 AM. Even at the best of times, Raguna had admitted, he had never been able to go to bed before 10:00 PM.

How was she going to find him now? Anette wasn't quite sure what to do… _Where could he be?

* * *

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_Where on earth could she be?_

Raguna had been just about everywhere he could think to look for Anette! Erik's farm, the Business District, even Lake Poli. There, he had stood alone on the bridge for the longest time, staring longingly at the beautifully blossoming trees. He had willed her to be out there on that island on the lake, standing there in the shade of the tree, just waiting for him to join her. No such luck. All day, he hadn't seen her once. Neither had he found anyone in any of Anette's usual places who could give him even the faintest idea of where she was. Throughout the entire day, he had still been fully aware of the delicate blue rose bouquet still sitting within his rucksack, but without Anette there with him, it seemed suddenly worthless, meaningless.

Raguna now emerged from the Laga Springs bathhouse, disappointed but not particularly surprised to learn from Melody that Anette had not been there today either. Everyone he had asked about Anette's whereabouts today had been as clueless as Mist…oh God, Mist! He had been such a jerk to her earlier! As distraught as Raguna had been, he couldn't believe he had been so flat out rude to her like that. She was his close friend, she was _Anette's_ close friend, and she must be just as worried about Anette as he was…in her own, unique way. He still had a turnip in his rucksack, he remembered. _I'll go back there right now and give it to her. Anette or…or no Anette…Mist has always been such a good friend to me, and I owe it to her to apologize after acting like that._

Just as Raguna was walking toward the Church District will the full intention of returning to see Mist, the orange sky above him suddenly began to darken dramatically. Was it after 6:30 PM already? He must have lost track of the time! He hadn't even been to Whale Island yet, and he still had crops to water! If he didn't hurry… Unable to believe his terrible timing, he rushed off to the clock tower as fast as he could manage.

Fifteen minutes later, he stood panting below the moonlit face of the clock tower, standing at the foot of the monolithic beanstalk which shot up into the wispy clouds far overhead. Looking up, Raguna could make out the familiar silhouette of Whale Island, a tremendous stone carved into the shape of a giant whale. The island was kept peacefully adrift above Trampoli by the power of a vast rune orb, a collection of powerful and mystical rune energy. An orb that, unbeknownst to Raguna, was even then beginning to fade…

All too aware of the time constraint that he was now under, Raguna took a deep breath, gripped the sturdy vines of the beanstalk before him, and began to climb.

* * *

**AN: So yeah, how 'bout that Chapter 4? Some stuff happened, huh? Got some plot-furthering devices in there, eh? Yep...yessiree... =P But seriously, I'm glad I was able to make this chapter a bit longer than my three previous ones. Oh yeah, and now you know that his name's Alpha (and that I am a little to attached to the Greek alphabet n_n')! Sounds a bit more catchy than "mysterious stranger" doesn't it? Hope you enjoyed the more proper introduction of my OC. Yeah, I'll admit, he has some issues, but let's face it, so doesn't everyone else in this Drama/Romance at this point. XD Oh yeah, and I've also been trying to keep the times that come up in the story as consistent with the game as I could as well as each other, but now with 6:45, 9:15, 11:30, 11:45, 6:30, 6...GAH! Yeah, it's getting a bit much to keep track of. But I'm nothing if not a perfectionist when it comes to things like this. ;-) Boy...gonna be hard to keep up with these updates now that I'm up to my neck in homework... T_T But nevertheless, I will persevere! I must not fail! I owe it to all six or so of my readers! x]**

**Muchísimas gracias to my ever-tolerant beta readers **_**Shadows-of-Realm**_** & **_**LovelyxxMelody**_**! Sois piratas fantásticas! d( ^_^ )b**

**COMING SOON****: Chapter 5, in which Alpha develops a sudden interest in geology... ;-)**


	5. Iris

******_**DISCLAIMER**_**** I do not own, nor have I ever owned, any of the characters, places, items, etc. etc. relating to the Harvest Moon or Rune Factory series.**

**Please review! If you write me a review, I will give you a hug. What, you don't believe me? Trust me. If you review right now, I promise that of all the people who hug you over the course of your life, I will be one of them. ...Probably. =P

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**Chapter 5: Iris**

Rosetta crossed her slender arms before resting them on the well-polished wooden counter between Alpha and herself. She shook a head of sandy blonde hair and frowned apologetically. "No," she said, "I can't say that I have."

Alpha's spirits sank even lower. They shouldn't have. By now he was plenty used to hearing this. No news may not have been good news for him, but it certainly was the norm. Even so, he never ceased to be disheartened by every new failure to learn something—anything—that might help him in his search. "Ah, I see," he replied, trying just as hard to convince himself of his unconcern as he was Rosetta. "Well, sorry to have bothered you. I'll just be going, then.

But Rosetta seemed not to have heard him. Excitement flashed in her eyes, and she immediately straightened up from behind the counter. "Since you're here," she said, her voice business-like and persuasive, "why not buy something?" She turned around and began pulling merchandise off of the shelves, holding them out for Alpha to see and subsequently placing them in front of him on the counter. "We have necklaces," she was saying as Alpha tried in vain to open his mouth to speak, "bracelets—perfect for protection against monsters in case you run into any on your travels—, earrings, neck towels—they're our special seasonal item—and of course we have plenty of flower seeds. In fact, we're having a special sale on Moon Drop seeds this week. They're really quite the bargain at only 400 G per bag."

"No really," Alpha finally managed to say, "I'm alright. Don't get me wrong, it's all wonderful merchandise, but—"

"If you're not buying anything," came a bitter voice from across the shop, "then get the hell out, already." Alpha looked in the direction the voice had come from and saw a blond young man—just slightly older than himself—that he hadn't noticed upon entering the store earlier. The man stood with hands shoved deep into the pockets of his white worker's apron and was staring at Alpha with obvious distaste.

"Danny!" Rosetta shouted, "That's no way to talk to a customer!"

"Oh, but I'm not a custo—" Alpha began

Danny snorted. "Oh shut up, Rosetta. You and your precious customers. Why should I give a damn about some lousy kid, anyway? He's obviously not buying."

Alpha tried again. "Actually, he's right. I'm not. Now I really should—"

Rosetta raised her voice and shouted back angrily at Danny. "Well of course he's not going to buy anything _now_, with you acting like that."

Just as Alpha had begun pondering whether or not to try to slip out quietly and leave the two to their shouting match, Rosetta turned back to him. "I'm sorry," she said. "You'll have to excuse my employee for being so rude." She shot Danny a dirty look, but he had already turned away and angrily set to work rearranging a shelf of store merchandise. Rosetta leaned in closer to Alpha and lowered her voice, "He's just upset that he wasn't able to get a date to go flower viewing at the lake."

Danny bristled. "I heard that!" he announced, spinning around to face Rosetta. "And I told you, I just didn't ask anyone, because I wouldn't want to waste my time staring at some stupid flowers all day."

"Oh please," she scoffed. "Don't think I didn't see that pathetic display this morning."

Danny's face turned tomato-red. "I was… That was just—"

"Just you getting rejected."

By this point, Alpha was feeling very uncomfortable with the whole situation he had found himself in. In the end, he decided to act on his earlier impulse. With Rosetta and Danny continuing to hurl accusations and insults at one another, he crept silently from the counter and out the open door of the shop.

Alpha walked away from Materia feeling tired and defeated. Still nothing to go on. Nothing… Absolutely, fr_eaking_ _nothing, just like I told you. Ready to admit I was right and give up yet? Because, I mean, this whole search thing is just going sooo well._

_Oh, give it a rest already._ He kept on ahead, trudging down the set of stone steps in front of him. Upon reaching the bottom, Alpha happened to look up and notice a faded wooden sign standing next to another, much larger stone staircase. With muted curiosity, he walked nearer to examine it. It read:

_Public Square_

_*Come to rest and rejuvenate*_

_There's even a stone monument that makes strange noises._

A monument that made strange noises? That was a new one… Regardless, he may as well try looking around the square. Maybe there'd be someone _there_ who he could ask...though by now, he rather doubted that. Well, it was better than standing around here, arguing with himself, at any rate. And so, just as the sun was reaching its peak in the sky above him, Alpha walked past the sign and began his slow trek up the steps leading him to Trampoli's public square.

* * *

Raguna's arms burned. He had never climbed anything so quickly in all his life. Ignoring the pain, he stepped onto the solid earthen ground that made up Whale Island's cavernous mouth. He paused, panting to catch his breath after the exhausting ascent. All around him, a warm breeze caused the wild grass and flowers spurting forth from cracks in the stone and soil to sway gently, almost hypnotically, back and forth, back…and forth. But for the sound of his breathing, time ticked away in silence.

At that moment, a lone goblin wandered out from behind a crumbling stone column that lay just off to one side. Upon spotting Raguna, its pointed ears twitched, beady eyes widening with excitement. It could see flesh and smell blood, _human_ blood. It let out a shrill battle cry, and the moonlight reflected brilliantly off of its raised steel cleaver.

Recovering himself, Raguna looked up to face the goblin. Slowly, deliberately, he reached his hand back into his bag and drew out his Shine Blade. Fiery sparks leapt up from the forged metal while his brow creased with contempt. He hadn't yet forgotten his frustration at Anette's sudden disappearance. His fingers clenched around the hilt of his blade as he glared furiously at the knife-wielding little gremlin. Today was a _very_ bad day to be a monster.

* * *

Iris's brush danced across the canvas. One stroke. Two. Rainbow blotches of paint splattered in all directions, speckling her white clothing and short, blonde hair. She was thoroughly enjoying herself. Painting was what she lived to do, and each and every picture was her own personal masterpiece. She began to sing. It was a nameless tune, one she could not ever remember hearing, yet that seemed to stand out in her mind, all the same: Laa laa la la la laaa la la la la

Finally, the flurry of color ceased, and she stepped back to admire her work. She grinned, pleased. She twirled from the canvas board, white cloak billowing out behind her, and turned her gaze across the room to the clock hanging above her bed. The silver moonlight pouring in from the open window shone upon the lustrous golden hands, showing the time to be 12:30. Her day was just getting started. _Looks like it's time for me to start watering the flowers,_ she thought pleasantly. The sound of her open-toed boots clopping along the hard stone floor echoed throughout the tower as Iris crossed the chamber to her bedside table. Her watering can sat on the bed stand just where she had left it, but upon picking it up, she couldn't help thinking that it somehow felt lighter than it should have. She shook the can experimentally, expecting to hear the familiar sound of sloshing liquid from inside it, but instead found it to be quite empty.

She frowned. _Oh, I didn't realize it was out of water… Well, _she thought, a contented smile quickly returning to her face, _I'll just go for a walk outside and fill it from the pond. It _is_ very warm out today._ So, turning her back on the vibrant floral collection standing patiently along the far wall, she strode over to the spiral staircase which led downstairs.

But just as Iris had reached the top of the stairs, a sudden gust of warm wind, blown in through the window, caught the corner of her cloak, wrapping it about her ankle. As she tried to take her next step, her foot became entangled in the cloth, and before she knew it she was tumbling headfirst down the staircase. Then suddenly, a flash of brown. A muffled cry. A final solid THUD. Silence…

It took Iris a minute or two to regain her senses. When she eventually did gather herself, she managed, with an effort, to raise her head from the floor before opening her eyes to look about her. The dusty crates and blankets piled up in the corners of the room in which she found herself told her that she had ended up on the first floor of the tower after all. She turned her head to look behind her and saw that she was at the bottom of the stone staircase she had been intending to climb down only moments before.

Iris sighed heavily. All in all, she thought, despite feeling a bit sore after her fall, she seemed to be alright. Hitting the ground at the bottom of the stairs hadn't been nearly as painful as she thought it would be. Instead of the solid ground which she knew was there, it had felt more like landing on a kind of cushion. In fact…

There came a sudden grunt by Iris's ear. Startled, she spun her head to face forward and looked down at the floor for the first time since her tumble. There she saw poor Raguna, her "cushion," pinned helplessly to the ground below her. "R-Raguna!" she stammered as she leapt hurriedly off of the immobile farmer, "I'm really sorry! I didn't see you, and then I tripped, and… Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Raguna insisted feebly as Iris helped him to his feet. In reality, he looked far from it. He was badly bruised all over and seemed positively exhausted. She looked on concernedly as he pulled a blue bottle from his bag. With shaking hands, he uncorked the top and swigged down the azure liquid, before placing the now-empty bottle back into his rucksack. He looked up and met Iris's worried gaze. "It's an Energy Drink X," he explained, "I should be alright now." It was true. Already, she could see the purplish bruises on his arms and legs beginning to fade. Some of his vitality seemed to be returning, as well, though it was still obvious that he was quite tired, both physically _and_ mentally. Raguna sighed. "So," he said, "why don't we head upstairs, then?"

"Sure… Oh! That reminds me!" she said, suddenly excited, "I have a new painting that I'd like for you to see!" She turned and hurried back up the steps, leaving Raguna to half-hobble after her. Back on the second floor once again, Iris glided over to the still-wet canvas and spun it around to face the staircase. She stood by her masterpiece, hands clasped in front of her, waiting patiently for Raguna to appear at the top of the stairs. When he finally did come into the room and begin to look over her painting, his expression was unreadable. "Well," she asked, trying as hard as she could to sound modest, but unable to contain a tiny grin of pride, "what do you think?"

Raguna seemed to flinch at her question. "Uh…it's…well… I-it's a _great_ picture of a wooly! You're a very talented artist, Iris."

Iris felt her eyes beginning to well with tears. "It's…supposed to be a flower…a Moon Drop flower."

"Oh! Uh, right. Of course it is! And it's a very lovely flower, too! …Erm, speaking of which, have you finished watering your flowers yet, Iris?"

"Oh, you're right!" she exclaimed, her painting suddenly forgotten, "I was just on my way outside to fill my watering can, when I…tripped. I suppose I must have dropped it. I had better go look for it, so I can… Wait! I have an idea. Raguna, you always carry your watering can around with you, right? Would you mind watering my flowers for me?"

"Wh-what?" Raguna started "You mean _all_ of those flowers?" He motioned with his arm to the veritable floral jungle which more or less covered the far stone wall of the chamber.

Iris blushed in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry. You're right; that _is_ asking too much of you, especially after landing on you like that earlier."

Raguna appeared to compose himself. "No, no. Really, it's alright. I'll…I'll water them for you."

"Oh, would you? That's wonderful! I really appreciate it!"

And so, one hour later, Raguna had finally finished watering every last flower in the Tower of Rest. "There," he panted, "done."

"Oh you," Iris replied enthusiastically. "I knew I could count on you to help me out like that. Thank you very much, Raguna!"

"You're welcome," he replied hastily, having stolen a quick glance at the wall clock. "It's been great seeing you, but I really have to be going now. It's very late, and I still have…things to sort out back in the village." Though she lived in one of Whale Island's many towers, Iris knew all about the village of Trampoli after hearing Raguna describe it over his countless visits.

"Oh, alright. I understand. Just come back and see me again soon!"

"I will," he called behind him as he disappeared down the spiral corridor of the stairs.

_I hope so…_ Iris thought after he had gone. _I really hope so._ And soon she was blushing again, but this time, it wasn't merely because she was embarrassed.

* * *

2:00 Iris's clock had read… Raguna sighed. He was obviously never going to be awake at his usual time tomorrow. Strictly speaking, he probably shouldn't have spent so much time at Iris's, but he had already come off as a jerk to one good friend today, and he hadn't been about to let that happen again.

_If only Anette hadn't vanished like that… None of this would've happened. Not that it's her fault or anything, but…_ Well, complaining about it wouldn't help him now. Instead he had to try and _do_ something about it. He was already going to be sleeping in tomorrow; there was no way around that. So while he was up, he may as well look for Anette in the one place that he still hadn't. The second his feet touched solid ground, Raguna released his grip on the beanstalk and rushed off to the Business District.

* * *

Alpha was on his knees. He couldn't speak, couldn't move, could hardly breathe. The sky above him had long since turned dark. The balmy wind whipped his hair into his face, stinging his eyes. His knees screamed out in protest from hours spent kneeling on the hard ground. He didn't care.

Footsteps behind him. Alpha didn't turn around, didn't even blink. A voice. A voice calling out to him. He ignored it. There was only sound he could hear. Only one sound mattered now.

And then hands were on him, gripping him, pulling him away. Alpha cried out. He twisted and broke free. He ran back to embrace the object of his desire. The hands came again. He tried hard to fight, but he hadn't eaten, hadn't slept. He was too weak to resist.

But even as he was being pulled farther and farther away from the blessed stone, he could still hear it, could hear the voice just as clearly in his head as if it were still sounding right next to him. It was beauty, wonder, the voice of the angels. It was the voice he had spent the past two years of his life thinking he might never hear again. And he was being pulled away from it, inch by agonizing inch. His throat clenched, his eyes burning with helpless tears. It was too much. He blacked out.

And still the voice rang out from the stone monument, loud and crystal clear, unaware of everything that had just transpired:

Laa laa la la la laaa la la la la

Laa laa la la la laaa la la la la

Laa laa la la la laaa la la…

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**AN: Yeah, so another relatively long chapter (for me anyway). Coolio! n_n I know it took me a little longer than usual to update. I apologize. I can't really blame it all on school and homework, though. Procrastination played a large part...okay, a VERY large part. Bleh... =.= (Yes, I have adopted a new smiley. Scared? You should be. ;-) ) Anyway, actually relevant stuff! First of all, Danny vs. Rosetta fight. Had to do it. XD They were just born to quarrel. Also, I finally got to bring Iris into the story! And she even got a chapter named after her! Aren't I so kind? (Granted, I did make her fall down a set of stone steps... At least good ol' Raguna was there to break her fall! =D ) She was tons o' fun to write about. ...Actually I seem to really enjoy writing about ALL of the female characters. That's not too strange, is it? xP Well regardless, the last scene with Alpha was easily my favorite part to write in this chapter. Fun fact: thinking of that scene between Alpha and stone monument was what actually first inspired the idea for this story. I was just standing in the square on my second play-through of the game, listening to the singing, and thought "That monument was never given enough significance in the story b/c it stops singing as soon as you find out who the singer is. What if you recognized the voice and suddenly became desperate to find out where the person w...I should TOTALLY write a story about that!" God, this is getting to be a monstrous author's note... (._.') I'm going to stop myself now. Toodles!**

**To my far-too-patient betareaders, **_**LovelyxxMelody**_** & **_**Shadows-of-Realm**_**, you guys remain as fantastic as ever. If I ever get captured by a group of disgruntled Canadians, I am, like, totally calling you two to come and save me. ...Yes, I am quite strange, thanks for asking! n_n (I have nothing against Canada, by the way. Canadians are the epitome of awesome, and everyone knows it.)**

**Coming Soon****: Chapter 6, in which grinning may prove hazardous to one's health... ;-)**


	6. Here

**_**DISCLAIMER**_**** I do not own, nor have I ever owned, any of the characters, places, items, etc. etc. relating to the Harvest Moon or Rune Factory series.**

***Clears Throat* [singing] Sooo... If you review this chapter I'll be so much happier, so review this chapter todaaaaay! n_n [/singing] *Bows & Hurriedly Runs Off Stage*  


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**Chapter 6: Here**

Morning. Sunlight cut through the groggy morning haze as the sun rose above the motionless canopy of trees on the horizon. A single ray fell directly upon Alpha's exposed face. Reluctantly, he stirred, shielding his eyes with his hands and blinking rapidly in the harsh light. It was several minutes of squinting and thoroughly rubbing his eyes before he found himself fully awake. But...where _was_ he, exactly?

Alpha raised himself up on one elbow and began to survey his surroundings. The room he had woken up in was relatively small, with dull brown walls, a grayish-white tiled floor, and rather rustic, if well-polished, wooden desks and chairs. Alpha himself was lying under the plain white blankets of a single-person bed, placed just below an open window, which accounted for the source of the light which had woken him. A drawn, mobile green curtain sat to one side of the bed.

By all accounts, the room would have been quite unremarkable, if not for two things: First were the contents of the shelves and cabinets against the wall to Alpha's left. They contained an incredible assortment of bottles of every possible shape and size, and filled with every color of liquid imaginable, from green to pink to orange to white to red. The other unusual feature of the room was the dozing, ruby-haired woman who sat on a small stool at the foot of his bed, and whom he just then took abrupt notice of.

Alpha let out a startled gasp. He tore off the covers and leapt to his feet on the bed, arms raised, prepared to lash out in defense. …Old habits died hard... This sudden movement seemed to stir the woman from her sleep. Her eyes blinked open and she lifted her hooded head to stare up at him. She smiled kindly, her violet, holy sister's uniform fluttering slightly in the breeze from the open window, and Alpha felt his battle-ready composure falter. "Wh-who are you?" he asked cautiously.

The woman (the _young_ woman, Alpha now realized, as she couldn't have been much older than he was) did not answer him, but simply knit her brow. Her smile turned quickly to a frown of disapproval. "I could ask you the same question," she said. "And what did you think you were doing yesterday, anyway? You can't just sit around staring at some rock all night without allowing yourself a wink of sleep. It's not _healthy_."

Alpha allowed his arms to relax and dropped them to his sides. This woman clearly didn't mean him any harm. She seemed even to be concerned about him. Even so, he was utterly perplexed by what she seemed to be saying. "Staring...at a rock?" he asked dumbly. Why on earth would he have been staring at a rock, he wondered? And what did that have to do with his being here?

The woman put a hand to her mouth as her eyes widened. "You mean you don't remember? Oh dear, not another case of amnesia..."

Amnesia? Alpha frowned nervously. He certainly hoped not...but wait. Hadn't she just said, "_another_ case"? Then who—

"My name is Lara," the woman said to him, interrupting his thoughts. "I work as a nurse and a sister here in Trampoli. Do you...remember your name?"

So he _was_ still in Trampoli. "My name's Alpha," he said, without skipping a beat. _What kind of idiotic question is that, anyhow?_ a part of him chimed in. Alpha, as usual, simply ignored the thought.

"Well, I suppose it's a start," Lara sighed quietly.

_I can't _actually_ be suffering from amnesia_, Alpha decided. He still remembered his name, for one, and he certainly hadn't forgotten where he had traveled here from or why he came to this village in the first place. He was looking for...for... And then everything came rushing back to him at once in a tidal wave of emotion. _Oh my God... She's here! The monument, and the singing. _Her_ singing! Her voice... She's here...she's here... _And for the first time in over two years, even Alpha's own cynical inner voice was rendered speechless.

He ought to have leapt from the bed right then and there and dashed back to the square. He badly wanted to, but something held him in place. It was as if he were rooted to the spot. He looked down and saw that his legs were shaking. The adrenaline had finally worn off. Then came the pain. It started as a dull ache in his knees, but slowly, surely, it spread outward until the entirety of his legs felt engulfed in flame. He opened his mouth to speak, but he could no longer form the words. Instead, he allowed himself to fall backwards, crashing onto the mattress with a tremendous THUMP.

Lara gasped. She rushed over to the bedside as Alpha looked on, frustrated at his own helplessness. She placed a hand lightly on his forehead and withdrew it, frowning. "You're burning up. This is what happens when you push yourself too hard. Now you have a cold." Then, without warning, Alpha's stomach grumbled loudly. He groaned right along with it. Lara's frown deepened. "And when was the last time you ate a decent meal? From the sound of it, I would say it must have been days ago. You need to take better care of yourself! Honestly, you may just be worse than Selphy."

Alpha said nothing. He really was simply exhausted. And in any case, what could he have said? The nurse sighed and then walked from the bed over to one of the many bottle-filled shelves which lined the room. There was a clinking of glass as she searched through the contents of the row, until at last she seemed to find a bottle which was to her liking. She lifted the pale-colored jar from the shelf and, returning to Alpha's side now, produced a brown paper bag from the pocket of her robe. As he continued to watch, she placed the bag lightly on the windowsill and lifted the white bottle to his lips. "Here," she said. "Drink this."

Alpha did as he was asked. The concoction was foul-tasting, and he grimaced. Soon, though, he felt the medicine begin to work its magic. It seemed to him as if a great weight had suddenly been lifted from his body, and he sighed with relief. And then the hand was back on his forehead, but warmer, more bearable this time.

Lara withdrew her hand, satisfied. "There now. That should take care of your cold. Now we just need to get you something decent to eat." She reached for the bag on the windowsill and pulled out...food of some sort. Alpha looked over its sickly green color with some trepidation. "It's a vitamin-fortified Veggie Omelet," she explained. "Be sure to eat all of it, now. We certainly wouldn't want you to pass out from hunger again."

Again, Alpha obeyed, practically inhaling the meal in one gulp. This time, though, he instantly regretted it. "Ugh!" he exclaimed, gagging involuntarily. "That's... That's awful!" And awful it was. As far as he could tell, the flavor of the dish was comparable to that of dried grass and rotten eggs. But it, like the medicine, seemed to do the trick. He felt suddenly revitalized. Now that his body felt up to it, he was eager to be on his way. He apologized for the outburst and thanked Lara profusely. He then got to his feet and hurried quickly out of the infirmary, rushing through the nearest door.

The poor nurse had been caught off guard by this sudden haste and was left standing by the now-empty bed. "W-wait!" she called. "You really mustn't— Oh, be sure to mind your health!" She returned to her wooden desk in the corner of the room, shaking her head tiredly. Must all of the patients she treated here in Trampoli be so...difficult?

* * *

FWOOSH! The branches which lined the path rustled and blew aside as Anette flew past. Then, just as she passed over the bridge leading from the South District and rounded the corner, she dug in her heels, leaving familiar ruts in the dirt as she skidded to a stop. With the ground squealing in protest beneath her feet, she finally came to a gentle halt directly in front of Raguna's bright red mailbox. Once there, she drew a letter from Melody out of her mailbag and slid it casually into the open slot.

With her morning routine in full swing now, Anette followed suit. She spun on her heel to look out across the field and waved an arm to greet…no one. She blinked. "Ra-Raguna…" she muttered to herself. "Morning." But Raguna wasn't there to receive her routine greeting. He wasn't standing next to the mailbox, waiting for her. He wasn't busily tending to his fields or harvesting his crops. He wasn't even rushing past her on his way to buy some more veggie seeds from Erik. He was simply…gone. For once, and it didn't happen often, Anette sighed sadly.

"Well," she said aloud to herself, "I'd better get going. After all, this mail isn't going to deliver itself." She giggled then, but her heart wasn't in it. As she continued along the rest of her delivery route, she lacked her usual energetic passion. _I still haven't seen Raguna since yesterday morning_, she brooded. _I really hope he's not still upset about me not being at Mist's. _"Kanno, you have mail! It's addressed to your granddaughters." _Oh… and Alpha… He must be back out on the road by now. W-well, I guess there's no use getting all upset about it now. I knew he wasn't going to be staying in Trampoli long, but…still…_

While she had been deep I thought, Anette's morning routine had carried her all the way to the church. She had just delivered Lara's mail and was about to call out to her, when the doors to the church infirmary suddenly swung open. Taken entirely by surprise, the words were suddenly caught in her throat. A tall, lean figure emerged from the doorway and began to dash by her. He was wearing a red jacket and his eyes burned a deep, piercing orange. Could it really be…? "Alpha!" she called out to him.

Alpha stopped halfway down the hill on which the church sat. He turned and looked back at Anette, and she was instantly forced to avert her gaze. _Those eyes…_ But it was him! He was back! Or, he was still here, rather. And when he called back in response, it was with that same dreamy voice she remembered. "Oh, hello again. Uh…Anette, wasn't it?" He smiled politely at her, and even while not looking at him directly, Anette was not immune to the power of that smile.

"Yup! That's me! Ahahaha…" her nervous laughter trailed off. "I, uh, guess I wasn't expecting to still see you today. I mean, I'm really glad you're still here in Trampoli, but…I thought you were only staying the night. Oh!" a worrying thought suddenly occurred to Anette. "Unless you're about to leave right now…"

"Ah, right. About that, something has…come up," his smile wavered for just an instant, but Anette hardly noticed. Then suddenly it was back, brighter than ever. "It looks like I'll be staying in the village while I sort some things out. Now, er," he said, beginning to fidget uncomfortably, his smile drooping, "if you'll excuse me..."

"Um?"

"S-sorry!" Alpha gave an apologetic bow. "It's just that I have something to take care of at the moment. You understand, right?"

"Oh, yeah! Sure! No problem at all!" Anette's face had lit up, and she beamed practically from ear to ear in her excitement. After a moment's thought, she even chanced a glance upwards and directly into his… But no. She looked away again immediately. His eyes were too…too… Oh, what _were_ they exactly?

"Thank you. I appreciate your understanding." Alpha smiled sincerely. "I look forward to seeing you around Trampoli, then." And with that, he turned and bolted away along the path.

"See ya around! Have a great day!" she called after him as he ran off in the direction of the Business District.

"Thank you; I will!" he shouted back.

A minute later, Anette had already lost sight of him. He was gone again. But that didn't matter now. She was practically ecstatic. _Alpha is…staying here in Trampoli? That's so great! I mean, I really hoped he would, but after what Turner told me yesterday… Well, it doesn't really matter! He's here now, and that's the important thing. Ooooh, just think! Now I'll be able to see him every day while I'm—_

Anette gasped. Delivering the mail! She was supposed to be delivering the mail right now. She couldn't keep zoning out like this. _I better hurry. I can't be late with these deliveries!_ But soon, Anette found that speed was not a problem for her. All of a sudden, she was filled with energy and positively raring to run all of it off. She zipped from building to building along her route, noticing no one, a bright and cheery grin glowing on her face the entire time.

_Alpha's still here. He's here. He's here!_ "Selphy, you have another package!" _He's here in Trampoli. He's here. He's here! _"Here's your mail, Danny!" _He's here. He's really still here!_ "Rita, you got a postcard!"

She carried on like this through the rest of her deliveries and all the way back to Mist's home. Unfortunately, in her state of giddy aloofness, Anette failed to notice one important fact: Mist's gate, usually open this time of day thanks to the blonde herself, who would typically unlock it before watering her flowers, was now firmly shut. So, Anette, still grinning like a schoolgirl, barreled into the gate not to see it fly open in front of her, but to crash headlong into a solid fence and be knocked backwards onto the ground. "Owwww…" she groaned, propping herself up to rub her throbbing forehead.

"Were you just taking a nap out in the middle of the road? Don't you think that's a little strange?"

Anette opened her wincing eyes and glanced up to see who had spoken. What she found was Mist's blonde, blue-eyed head cocked to one side, looking down at her. Evidently, she had missed the whole incident and had only just wandered over in time to see Anette sprawled out on the ground. Had _Mist_ really just called _her_ strange? It was too much. In spite of the bruise that was steadily forming on her forehead, Anette burst into hysterical, giggling laughter.

Mist blinked and pouted slightly, a little hurt at not being able to share in the joke. She obviously didn't understand what Anette found so funny. Of course she wouldn't. Anette alone knew that Alpha, _her_ Alpha, was still somewhere in Trampoli,. She knew that he was going to be in Trampoli for a while, after all. _And as long as he's here, how can I not be happy enough to laugh. And he _is_ here. He's here. He's here…_

So, then, where exactly was Raguna?

* * *

**AN: This took forever to post... =.= I intended to have it up by New Year's, but I suppose everyone must learn the hard way that their betas have a life, too. n_n' Sorry, you two! Well, anyway, without further ado, here's... Oh, I suppose you already read the chapter, didn't you? *Ahem* Well then... Why don't I try talking about it? Alpha's no longer comatose, so that's cool. B-) You got to meet Lara, also cool (I hope... I like her character, anyway. v_v). I liked the whole awkward Anette-Alpha meeting in there, too, I might add. It reminded me so much of a particular anime I've been watching recently. But I digress... Ain't Anette just the cutest? XD** **Stranger than Mist...as if! I wonder how Raguna's going to act when he finds out about her not-so-little crush, though... Oh wait, no I don't! I already know, being the writer and all. =P Lucky for you, I double-updated, so you won't have to wait to find out for yourselves. You're welcoooome. ^-^**  
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Beta Readers, allow me to thank them: **_**Shadows-of-Realm**_** and **_**LovelyxxMelody**_**. You guys are teh awesomeness! x)**

**Coming Soon: Chapter 7, in which the letter proves mightier than the doorknob. ;-)**


	7. Harmless Misunderstanding

**_**DISCLAIMER**_**** I do not own, nor have I ever owned, any of the characters, places, items, etc. etc. relating to the Harvest Moon or Rune Factory series.**

**REE REE EE EE EE! ****REEVEE REE VEE VEE! Q Q OO OO OO! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! ;-P

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**Chapter 7: Harmless Misunderstanding**

Whaaaat? 10:00? Had he really slept in that late? Sitting painfully upright in his bed, Raguna sighed heavily. Well, it's not like he didn't know it was inevitable, he supposed. Staying up past 3:00 AM tended to have that effect on a person. But then again, he hadn't really had much of a choice. First there was Iris, and then that boy…

_He was just…just sitting there, in the middle of the Town Square. He wouldn't respond to me at all. It was like he was in a trance or something. And then, he actually _fought_ with me to try and stay, even after I told him that I was just bringing him to find help. It must have had _something_ to do with that weird monument with the music that's always coming from it. After all, he was kneeling right next to it. Maybe that was…just his favorite song or something? But no, that doesn't make any sense. …Ugh… He looked so pale and sickly, and then for him to actually pass out like that… He must have been in really bad shape._

As Raguna had been trying to pull the boy away from the haunting melody of the stone monument, the boy had suddenly lost consciousness in his arms. Not knowing what else to do, he had run off—carrying the boy—as fast as he could manage. Considering the added weight, the mere fifteen minutes which passed before he found himself standing in front of the church constituted an impressive feat. Luckily, Lara, a light sleeper, awoke at the sound of knocking at the infirmary's door. When she looked from Raguna's worried expression to the collapsed young man in his arms, she quickly ushered them in.

Once inside, Raguna did his best to explain what had happened and the state in which he had found the boy. For her part, Lara sat patiently and listened while he struggled through his fatigue in order to recount the event. After giving Raguna a sound scolding for his unhealthy sleeping habits, Lara promised she would care of the young man until he recovered. Raguna thanked her profusely and promised to return home immediately, so that he could get as much sleep as possible.

Unfortunately, by the time Raguna was able to step outside and cast a quick Return, it was already 3:00. No body of farmer, warrior, or mage—let alone a combination of the three—could function on a mere three hours of sleep. So, instead of rising bright and early as usual, Raguna had been forced to sleep in until…

_10:00! If it's already this late in the morning, then I guess the mail must have come by now. Wait, then that means… If the mail's really here…!_

Raguna threw off the covers and hurried down the stairs from his bedroom. He had been filled by a sudden, hopeful energy. If there was any chance at all… He had to get to that mailbox, if only to put his mind at ease.

He gathered his things quickly from the toolbox: some E Drink X, a few turnips and strawberries, his watering can, and…no, not the bouquet. It wouldn't do him any good right now, anyway. He first needed to _find_ her; find Anette and know she was alright. He hadn't managed to find her yesterday…but hell if he was going to let that happen again today. Once he could see her again, it would be okay. Everything would be okay.

_There_, he thought, shutting the toolbox, _I think that's everything. Now, I just need to go outside and get the mail. _With deliberate confidence and barely contained excitement, he moved towards the door. _Anette must have come to deliver the mail by now. She _must _have_. She was just too proud of her duty as a mailman not to. After all, delivering mail was what she lived for… "I just love how everyone smiles when they get their mail!" she would say. "That in itself just makes me so happy." _Of course she came. Of _course_! _Raguna was ecstatic to see the mail, just to know she had come. His hand on the doorknob, Raguna prepared to step outside and be reassured once and for all that he never had anything to worry about.

_But what if she hasn't come?_

Raguna froze. What if… What _if_ she hasn't come. His hand gripped tightly around the doorknob and his face flushed. He felt suddenly, overwhelmingly light-headed.

_Or what if she has come, but you simply have no mail today? You wouldn't know, would you? You'd be just as lost as you were yesterday._

All of these second thoughts… They were all perfectly founded and utterly disconcerting to Raguna. What on earth would he do, he wondered, if Anette really was missing. Or even just gone from him. What if he spent the rest of his life on some wild goose chase after her? What if…? What if…?

Raguna looked down and saw that his hand, still holding the doorknob, was trembling. He had never experienced this much doubt before, not in his entire life. Shock and even sheer, unadulterated panic, sure—for instance, when Anette had failed to be at Mist's house the day before—but this…this was different. He was doubting himself, doubting what he really knew about Anette, doubting his ability to ever… No! He couldn't think so much. He just had to go out there and hope for the best. He had to trust in something, and he knew if he could trust in anything, it was Anette's passion for her work.

Raguna closed his eyes and smiled a slight smile. Then his fingers twisted around the doorknob and soon, he was standing outside, bathed in the midmorning sun. He walked, his eyes still half-closed from the bright light, toward the red mailbox that stood waiting patiently for him. The short walk over to the mailbox had never seemed so much like an eternity to him, but at last, he stood close enough to see the pink corner of an envelope protruding from the mail slot.

Raguna let out a breath he hadn't even known he'd been holding. Now, in his moment of ultimate relief, he almost felt like laughing at what a nervous wreck he'd been over this just a moment ago. It was completely absurd, now that he thought about it. Had he ever _really_ doubted Anette. No, it wasn't possible. She was just the kind of person you couldn't help but trust, he mused. _And I know I could trust her with my life if I had to._

Back to his usual self now, Raguna casually retrieved the letter from the mailbox, opening it and reading over it quickly. It was from Melody, and he was fairly certain it said something about the springs having a new type of bath soap. This was all well and good, but the content of the letter really wasn't important to him. What was really important was that his mail had been delivered; it had been delivered by Anette. She was okay; she was _here_. And he was going to make absolutely sure of it.

* * *

"Hey, Mist, can I talk to you about something?"

"Oh yes," Mist responded pleasantly. Her friend's voice had caused her to pop back into reality. She had been daydreaming again, as usual, but she now gave Anette her full attention. Mist turned her head from the bureau she had been dusting to face the seated mail girl. "So what did you need to say to me? Oh…does this have to do with those turnip brownies I made a few days ago? I'm sorry those didn't end up tasting all that good… And I even followed the recipe exactly. Well, I didn't have any eggs, of course, but I just used mayonnaise instead. It's made from eggs, so it's basically the same thing, right? I just don't understand it." Mist pouted confusedly.

Anette squirmed uncomfortably in the chair and planted her feet—which she had been swinging playfully underneath the table—firmly on the ground. "Oh…uh, of course not, Mist," she said cautiously. "The brownies were great. I thought they were really yummy." Anette pulled a fake smile while trying to suppress the memory of that nightmare of a dessert. _Ohhh… It made me feel so sick!_ She fought to hold back a groan as her stomach began to churn.

"Oh, I see," Mist said, already drifting back into a state of aloofness. She turned back to her dusting as she continued to talk, but her mind was elsewhere. "What _did_ you want to talk about, then?" _Raguna should be coming any minute now_, she thought. _Especially after yesterday. Knowing him, he probably still feels bad about it._

Anette had begun to fidget for an entirely different reason than before. She let out a tiny, characteristic giggle and smiled embarrassedly. "Actually, I just kind of wanted your advice about something. You see…"

_Well, it's okay. Of course I forgive him_, Mist's thoughts continued unimpeded._ But he's just always so thoughtful. I bet he'll bring a whole bagful of turnips to try and make it up to me. Maybe even an Emery Flower, or a bouquet of Emery Flowers!_

"…there's this boy."

Mist started, her thoughts coming to an abrupt halt. Surely Anette didn't mean…

"I really like him. I mean, I like him a _whole_ lot. He's really sweet and thoughtful and… Oh, and he has the most amazing eyes!" She looked up from the table to see Mist staring bemusedly at her. She blushed deeply and tugged at her pigtail, looking back down at the table. "Sorry," she laughed, "this is so embarrassing. I guess I was just kind of wondering—since you're a girl, and us being housemates—if you knew how I might be able to get him to like me." Her blush instantly deepened. "I mean, he's already really nice to me! I guess he might like me, too… B-but I need to know what to do. So, um, yeah. Hey, Mist!" she called suddenly as she looked up again only to see Mist staring off into the distance. The blonde had a glazed, unfocused look in her eyes. "Are you okay?" Anette asked. No response. She frowned, disappointed. It's not like it wasn't typical of Mist to space out like this, but still… She would have thought, given the circumstances, that Mist would be a little more atten—

Mist blinked twice, her eyes suddenly focusing. She smiled timidly at Anette and spoke in a flustered voice. "Hmmm… I suppose I don't really know if I have any advice to give you about _that_. Oh, I know! You should go see Rosetta. We used to play together a lot as kids, and she was always telling me that she knew _everything_ about boys, so she'll definitely know what to do! …Or was it that I knew nothing about boys? I can't remember…"

Anette failed to pick on Mist's obvious discomfort. She merely allowed herself to relax and smiled warmly at her well-meaning friend. _That sure is Mist for you. She was totally zoning out just a minute ago, too. She's such a great friend. But, wait, was I _really_ going to ask her for…for _boy_ advice?_ The very idea was enough to make Anette giggle. "Thanks so much, Mist!" she said. "I'll go do that right now." She stood up eagerly from Mist's table and, barely able to contain her enthusiasm, sprinted out the front door at full, delivery-worthy speed.

Sprinting out of Mist's house… _Like Raguna did…_ The feather duster hung limply in Mist's grasp as she stood there, right where Raguna had left her standing yesterday. Where he had left her standing while he went off looking for Anette. Mist bit her lip and her eyes grew wide in distress. Was _her_ Raguna…? And Anette…? She had described Raguna perfectly. Sweet? Thoughtful? And his eyes… Who else could she have been talking about? Mist stashed her feather duster away in the bureau and grabbed her blue knapsack from beside her bed. She slung it around her shoulder before following Anette out the door. She just _had_ to see Rosetta. _She'll know what to do. She _always_ knows what to do. Oh, Raguna…

* * *

_

Anette, having been in such a rush upon leaving Mist's house, had headed west, in the direction of Raguna's house, on her way to Rosetta's shop, instead of following her usual route. _Well, I can just go this way instead. Maybe it'll even be faster. Who knows?_ After all, anything and everything seemed possible when she was running like this. There was never any other time when she felt happier, freer. And to top it all off, today was special, and it was all thanks to him. Thanks to…

"Raguna!" Anette called out in delight. She had spotted the brunette farmer on the path just ahead, heading in her direction. There was that smile she knew so well and those deep sky-blue eyes that shone brightly, mirroring her sheer joy and relief. Overcome with excitement, she ran straight up to her friend to embrace him. Unfortunately, she had forgotten just how fast she was moving. With Raguna locked in Anette's arms, the two fell to the ground, carried by her momentum, tumbling and rolling, until they both landed in a tangled heap in the middle of the path. Finding Raguna in a rather uncomfortable position beneath her, Anette quickly gathered herself up and proceeded to help him to his feet. "Sorry…" she said, blushing. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm alright. Actually, you're not the only person who's fallen on top of me recently. But anyway, I'm so glad to see you!" Raguna was practically overcome with emotion. He wanted so badly to just put his arms around her in a protective embrace. There was Anette. _His_ Anette. She was safe and sound, and as innocent and adorable as ever. He resisted the urge, but only just. Instead, he turned his affection toward concern. "Where were you yesterday, though?" he continued. "I showed up at Mist's house looking for you, but you weren't there. I was worried about you, Anette."

"Really?" Anette's face turned a deeper shade of red. "Thanks. Actually, though, I was…um…" Anette paused. Why did explaining this to Raguna feel so…awkward? She shook herself out of it quickly. _Come on, Anette. You're just being silly. You can tell Raguna anything. He's your friend, after all._ "Well, I was actually at the inn."

"Oh?" The inn! One of the few places he hadn't looked. He had only gone looking in places where he had always known Anette to be, like the bathhouse. "Were you visiting Eunice? I don't think I've ever seen you at the inn on a Monday before."

"Yeah, well… I was actually there to see somebody else. His name's Alpha. Maybe you've met him? He's a boy about your age, well, actually _our_ age, and he has black hair, a red jacket, oh, and his eyes are really bright orange, just like pumpkins!"

_Oh! The boy that he found next to the monument last night. _"Yeah, I have met him, actually. I brought him with me to the church just last night. He—"

"Do you think…" Anette cut him off unknowingly. She looked down at her feet, her cheeks painted a deep scarlet. She was busily tugging at one of her golden braids. Raguna hadn't seen her doing this very often. Something was definitely on her mind. "I mean, do you really think that, maybe you…"…_could help me? I think I really like Alpha, and I want him to like me, too. I really need your advice. What should I do?_ It all made perfect sense in Anette's head. So why couldn't she bring herself to say it to Raguna?

"What is it, Anette?"

"Umm…N-nothing!" she said, flustered. "Nevermind. I should probably be going now." Without another moment's hesitation, she hurried off past Raguna and his house and towards her original destination: the Business District and Rosetta. "Bye, Raguna!" she shouted behind her. "Have a great day!"

Raguna blinked in utter astonishment at the abruptness of her departure for a minute. Eventually, though, he recovered enough to think back over what Anette had said. _"Do you think… I mean, do you really think that, maybe you…"_ Raguna thought about that. He smiled. Had Anette really been…about to ask him if he_ liked_ her? To confess her feelings, so to speak? It looked like that bouquet might come in handy, after all. With a bit of spring in his step, now, and a newfound lightness in his heart, Raguna headed back in the direction of his house, figuring there was no real reason to waste Return Magic. Suddenly, it felt like he had all the time in the world.

_Oh, Anette…

* * *

_

**AN: Oooooh! The parallelism between chapters just gives you goosebumps, doesn't it? ...It doesn't? So that's only me? ...Right, then. =.= In any case, hope you enjoyed Chapter 7. :o) I'd like to take this time to announce that I had the good fortune of meeting up with one of my good friends and betas recently, **_**Shadows-of-Realm**_**, and he was finally able to play RFF for the first time! :D And by play, I mean he tried desperately to figure out the control scheme as I shouted exasperated commands into his ear and complained all the while about how long it was taking him to water his crops. Let's all give this poor soul a round of applause for being a good sport and not strangling me with the Wiimote and Nunchuck! =P Okay, now for actual chapter comments. Ah Mist, Raguna, and Anette... It's a classic case of half the story leading to all of the wrong assumptions. Mist is assuming the worst; Raguna is assuming the best; Anette is blissfully unaware of the drama headed her way; and who knows what Alpha is up to? (Well, **_**I**_** do, but that's beside the point.) Anyway**,** it's a tangled web of romance with coincidence after unfortunate coincidence at the helm. Let's all see where this leads, shall we? ;]**

**Beta Love: **_**LovelyxxMelody**_** and **_**Shadows-of-Realm**_**, you are truly the bee's knees and the cat's meow...though not necessarily in that order. MEEEOOOW! :3**

**Coming Soon: Chapter 8, in which love advice is tainted by employee relations. ;-)**


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